Sport

Karting championship is ongoing success

Published

10 years ago

July 15, 2015

Tom Sinclair

Dan Thomas of Templeton: Currently leads the Lightweight Standings

ROUND 4 of the West Wales Pembrokeshire Karting Championship took place on June 28, with the opportunity for those involved to win a VIP trip to the F1 factory to see how a Formula 1 racing car is made.

The Pembrokeshire Karting Championship began in 2009 thanks to the entrepreneurial skills of local Karting enthusiasts.

Karting Championship Coordinator Royston Badham of Pembroke Dock, says: “I was always a keen motorsport fan and realised that there were no affordable opportunities for fans or regular Joe public to race in organised competitions. Fresh from university and keen to use my motorsport management degree we organised a few rounds and advertised in local media. We saw a large turnout from many local people keen to try their hand in a proper competition, which was the next step up from doing a few laps with their mates on a Saturday afternoon. The aim has always been to provide an affordable ‘turn up and race’ organised karting event where you will race in equal conditions with people of similar ability.”

Six years on, the Championship has grown and is now a hugely popular event, as Royston explains.

“We attract some talented competitors from all over south wales and because we have kept costs low we still have casual enthusiasts turning up and having a go for one or two rounds as a bit of fun.”

The Championship is held at two tracks in the county. Carew Karting is an outside circuit and is a keen favourite amongst the drivers as it also offers the uncertainty of the weather. West Wales Karting is the indoor circuit in Haverfordwest and has recently joined the calendar. One of the features of an indoor track is space is a premium meaning drivers are faced with a very challenging and twisty layout.

A typical round sees competitors taking part in a qualifying session which decides if they’re in the quicker group of drivers, or slower. Everyone will then take part in a sprint race, where their finishing positions are reversed for the feature race. Each event takes about 3 hours and offers a great experience for everyone who races

As the series has grown, costs are kept to an absolute minimum and they rely on sponsorship from local companies such as Folly Farm and Smith & Jones Electrical to allow the PKC to remain affordable for their competitors.

“We cater for many different categories to ensure every competitor has someone to race to keep things as fair and equal as possible. All karts are the same at each track and we have two different weight categories; the lightweights and the heavyweights. We also recognise the best rookie driver of the year and the best female and over 40. With the increased interest in recent years we have been able to arrange a visit to a formula one team factory for the champions to discover what goes into designing and making a f1 car.”

Sport

World Cup qualifiers 2026: How are Wales doing?

Published

16 hours ago

November 18, 2025

Staff Writer

THE 2026 World Cup is going to be bigger and better than ever before, with the tournament expanding to accommodate an additional 16 teams this time around, for a total of 48.

This makes qualifying a little more interesting as many more teams have the opportunity to perform on the highest stage. Teams like England were able to secure their place in the competition fairly early, while other groups have been under more pressure to secure top spots – Wales included.

So whether you’re a casual viewer here for the drama, or a dedicated fan watching both on TV and across online betting apps for the best odds, here’s a rundown of how Wales are doing in the World Cup qualifiers.

How are Wales performing?

Wales have been in qualifying Group J, alongside Belgium, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, and Liechtenstein. Despite tough competition, Wales, led by head coach Craig Bellamy, have produced some great performances and have given themselves a reasonable chance of making the finals. This would be their third qualification ever, following on from 2022’s success.

They had a strong start against Kazakhstan, in which they claimed a solid 3-1 victory at home. They then drew 1-1 against North Macedonia thanks to a 96th minute equaliser, and thrashed Liechtenstein 3-0 back in June. The undefeated streak ended with a 4-3 loss to group favourites Belgium in Brussels (and again a loss to Rudi Garcia’s team in Cardiff last month).

With another victory over both Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein under their belts, these results have put Wales in a good position within the group, but they nonetheless face a fight to qualify, being two points behind Belgium, and behind North Macedonia on goal difference.

If Wales win and Belgium lose (as unlikely as that seems), they would qualify for the World Cup automatically as group winners.

Lose or draw and it’s the play-offs for Craig Bellamy’s men. In some senses, there’s less pressure on tonight’s match as Wales have already at least qualified for the play-offs as one of the Uefa Nations League group winners. However, finishing second in the group would give them an easier path to qualification.

Looking ahead to the 2026 play-offs

If Wales miss out on topping the group (which is likely), they will have to settle for a play-off spot, which is a much more challenging route to qualification.

Should they lose or draw tonight, they will have to face a top-seeded team away from home to have a chance at reaching the play-off final. However, should they beat North Macedonia, they will play weaker opposition at home.

Today’s crucial game for Wales

The 2026 qualifiers have and continue to be highly competitive in Europe. Wales are in the mix, having proven that they can challenge, but are sitting very much in between favourites and underdogs.

Tonight’s match is looming, the stakes are high, and anything could happen. A win could put them on the path to automatic qualification if Liechtenstein can overcome the odds, while a draw or loss will force them to rely on the hardest play-off route. Welsh fans will be hoping for a strong performance, as well as a bit of luck.

Sport

South Pembrokeshire Short Mat Bowls: Week eight results and league table

Published

1 day ago

November 17, 2025

Herald Sport

THE SOUTH Pembrokeshire Short Mat Bowls Association – known as the Friendly League – has released the latest results following week eight of the competition.

Last week’s matches saw:

East Williamston 8–2 Cosheston
Kilgetty 7–3 St Twynnells
Reynalton 5–5 St Johns
Llanteg 8–2 Lamphey

The fixture between Hundleton and Carew was postponed, while Badgers had a bye.

Updated league table – Week eight

Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Shot Diff	Points
East Williamston	7	7	0	0	160	62
Reynalton	7	4	1	2	34	40
St Johns	7	3	1	3	-2	35
Cosheston	7	3	0	4	33	33
Badgers	7	3	0	4	-10	33
Llanteg	7	3	0	4	-39	33
Carew	6	3	0	3	-20	30
St Twynnells	7	3	0	4	-45	30
Hundleton	6	3	0	3	-8	29
Lamphey	8	3	0	5	-19	29
Kilgetty	7	3	0	4	-54	26

More fixtures are set to follow as the Friendly League moves into the second half of the season.

Sport

Haverfordwest County Women make it two wins from two in Phase 2

Published

1 day ago

November 17, 2025

Herald Sport

HAVERFORDWEST COUNTY AFC Women continued their strong start to Phase 2 with an impressive 4–2 victory over a determined Morriston Town side on Sunday.

It was a superb all-round performance from the Bluebirds, combining sharp team play with some outstanding individual finishes. Striker Kayla Jones led the way with a well-taken brace, while Ella May Mumford and Tayla Gibbs also got on the scoresheet to secure all three points.

The win makes it back-to-back victories in Division A, further strengthening the squad’s momentum going into the next fixture.

Haverfordwest County now turn their attention to their next home match on Sunday 23rd, when they host Bonymaen Colts Ladies.

Squad: Rhian Jones, Freya Watkins Williams, Erin Frost, Katie Gibbins, Mollie Flanagan, Bethan Chapman, Tayla Gibbs, Ella May Mumford, Emma Smith, Ffion Kirk, Kayla Jones.